The Best Under the Radar Rounds

Tim Widing - The KFT points leader continued his excellent season with a second round 68 and heads into the weekend in the top 10. Widing turned pro in 2021 after a stellar career at the University of San Francisco. Since, he has battled to find his place in pro golf. In just his fourth start as a pro, Widing was leading a Challenge Tour event through three rounds when food poisoning knocked him down. He was so sick that he couldn't make his final round tee time and was DQ'd. Because he had no status at the time, the DQ was devastating to his career; he likely would have gained status with a decent final round. 

The following year while playing on the Latin American Tour, Widing was robbed at gunpoint in Colombia. Despite those setbacks, the native of Sweden kept grinding and has already locked up his PGA Tour card for next season. He is now in contention at Pinehurst. 

Frankie Capan III - The super talented native of Minnesota shot even par in his second round and finds himself T21 at 1 over headed into the weekend. For those who have yet to see my tweets about it, Capan holds one of the most impressive Q-school stats I know of: he made it through pre-Q, first, second, and final stage in 2022. He was a combined 60-under in those four stages and lost to a TOTAL of eight players. After nearly getting his PGA Tour card last year via the KFT, he is having another good year and now heads into Saturday's third round just five strokes off the lead. 

Jackson Suber —I wrote about Suber's first round in Thursday's article but I wonder how many thought he would back it up with another good round on Friday. He held his own playing in a group with Jordan Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama. A 3 over 73 left him at 1 over for the week, and the Ole Miss grad will start Saturday T27. 

Mark Hubbard-  After opening with a 4 over 74, it looked like Hubbard's streak of 16 consecutive made cuts might be in jeopardy. His prospects looked worse after an opening bogey, but Hubbard played the last 12 holes in 2 under and kept his streak alive, making the cut by two. In the middle of last year, Hubbard hired mini-tour legend Matt Picanso as his caddie and the duo has clicked.

Gunnar Broin- Tiger Woods, Max Homa, and Victor Hovland are just a few of the big names that missed the cut this week. However, Gunnar Broin, the 477th-ranked amateur in the world, will have a Saturday tee time. The Kansas Jayhawk senior, who doesn't have a college win, shot a second round 68, one of the day's best rounds, to easily make the cut. He made it through local and final qualifying and now makes the weekend in the U.S. Open. He heads into the third round tied with Jordan Spieth and Cameron Smith. 

Greyson Sigg- After opening with a 6 over 76, Sigg had a wedge into his first hole to begin the second round. He hit the wedge over the green, proceeded to chip that one across the green, barely got the next shot on the green, and two-putted for a double bogey. He moved to 8 over, and the cut seemed like a distant dream. For the next 17 holes, he made three birdies, including a hole-out from the bunker on the seventh. He finished with a 1 under 69 and made the cut on the number. 

Ben Kohles- Like Sigg, Kohles struggled in the opening round shooting a 7 over 77. He then began his second round with back-to-back bogeys. At the time, he must have felt nine miles away from the cut. But after five birdies in the  next seven holes, he was inside the cut line. He made bogey on 15, holed a nine-footer on 16 to save par, made a five-footer on 17 for par, and two-putted from over 70 feet at the last to make the weekend on the number. 

Sam Bairstow- Yes, Bairstow missed the cut by six shots, but he also followed up his opening round 84 – the worst score by three strokes – with a 3-under 67. The 67 was the day's second best score behind Hideki Matsuyama's 66. 

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